Afterwards
by Juniper1919
Summary: Hazel Grace Lancaster may feel like everything is over, but life goes on. To help her cope with her loss, she adopts a kitten for company and companionship. See Hazel's life through the eyes of a small but intelligent cat, and what always happens in the end.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is also a school assignment, but it's much shorter, and I'll have to be done by the time the summer ends. So yes, this will be finished! I have decided to upload the rest of the The Diamond City too, so that should be happening soon. I hope I captured Hazel right, but do enjoy regardless!**

"Get your grubby paws off me, mouse for brains!"

The tiny, tabby kitten sighed, gazing longingly out the bars of his and his siblings' cage. It wasn't so much that he wanted to be free; no, he liked the small, warm space he had been confined to. He simply wasn't too fond of its other residents. He turned to look them, the two small she-cats locked in each other's needle-sharp claws.

"I'm gonna get yo-Hey, no fair! Biting's not allowed!" one whined, turning and scampering to hide behind her completely indifferent mother. "Right, Mom?" she asked, poking the larger cat's back. "Tell her she can't bite me anymore!" The three cats' mother only smiled, catching the accused kitten around the side with a paw and pulling her in for a rasp-tongued lick.

"Moooom, stop-"

"They are a rowdy bunch, aren't they?" an alien voice rumbled. A gigantic, pink face hovered in front of the cage, its paw-sized, eyes gleaming with amusement. "All except that one," it added, turning slightly to stare right at him, the outcast.

The tabby kitten's coat fluffed up with apprehension. His two sisters were now pawing at the bars of the small enclosure, begging to be chosen, but he sat still, meeting the gigantic, pink thing's gaze. _Human, right?_ he thought. _Though I don't suppose it could be anything else._

"He looks like he's thinking, doesn't he, Hazel?" The pink creature spun all the way around to face another of its kind, one slightly smaller but of similar stature. From the very, very little the tabby kitten knew of the creatures' species, these two were the females, while the bigger one standing primly a short way away was the male.

The one called Hazel approached the cats' cage slowly, pulling a narrow cylinder behind her. She bent down slowly, her green eyes focused on the tabby kitten. "Yeah," she replied, the faintest of smiles curving her lips. "Like a little feline philosopher, pondering the meaning of life." She straightened, turning to the other female. "He's definitely the one I want," Hazel decided. "And his name will be Rene Descartes." She looked back down at her kitten-to-be thoughtfully. "He knows he exists."

With that, she walked away, leaving the larger male and female to scoop the kitten up. The tabby's sisters protested, but in an instant he had been stolen away. They would never see him again.

The tabby kitten-or Rene Descartes, he supposed-wasn't upset at all. His sisters had never really liked him, thinking him much too quiet for his own good ("You'll never get adopted if you don't look happy!" one had told him), and while his mother would miss him at first, she would quickly move on. They would all be adopted eventually. That was the way it worked.

A sudden movement jarred the kitten from his thoughts. The taller female deposited him in Hazel's lap where she sat in some gigantic metal box. The tall one retreated, but a moment later she had reappeared in a cushy seat beside the male. Rene Descartes looked around curiously, noting the strange lights and strange smell and strange feel and-

"This is a car, Rene Descartes," Hazel explained. "I'm Hazel, that's Dad and that's Mom." Her large paws seemed to have minds of their own as they flew through the air, moving from human to human, but Rene Descartes thought he understood.

"Hazel, honey," Mom said sweetly, "do realize he's just a cat. He can't understand you."

Rene Descartes frowned. "Yes, I can," he replied calmly. "And I am appreciating the knowledge I am being given, so please don't stop her."

Dad chuckled, his broad shoulder's shaking slightly. "For a kitten named after a famous philosopher, he sure does have a squeaky meow."

Mom laughed at that, nodding her head in agreement, but Hazel gave her new cat a soft pat on the head. "I know you can understand me, Des," she reassured him.

Despite the somewhat odd cylinder she wheeled around and slow way of moving, Rene Descartes decided he really liked this human. She was different, just like him.


	2. Chapter 2

At first, he had thought that something in the car was causing the Smell. After a few days, however, it became apparent that whatever it was, it was attached to Hazel. It smelled damp and musty, not unlike the mold that grew in his food dish when it sat unchanged for too long. The Smell was nauseating, but subtle, only making itself known when no other powerful scents like cooking were in the air.

Oh, the thought of the humans' cooking made Rene Descartes' mouth water. He was still fed kibbles on a daily basis, just like at his old home, but now Hazel would slip him bits of meats and pastas and all kinds of other strangely named things that tasted divine. Mom and Dad never did, only shooing him when he asked ("Please, kind Mom, may I have just a small bite of your food?" he would inquire, then be softly pushed away by one of her hind paws), but Hazel always gave him something.

Right, the Smell. The tabby kitten didn't often get carried away thinking about cooking, but the humans' food was simply delicious. Anyway, Rene Descartes decided he'd follow the other two humans in the house for a little while just to see if they carried Hazel's Smell as well. This was not the case. The Smell seemed to stick to Hazel alone, and while he didn't know exactly what it meant, he could tell it wasn't anything good. It made him a bit uneasy, but he still curled up against Hazel's side every night as she went to sleep. The whirring of her dragon, as she called it, was surprisingly soothing, and while she couldn't talk to him while it was over her face, he was reminded of his mother's purr.

Now was such a time, and while the kitten's mind was racing as usual, he could feel himself being lulled to sleep by the dragon's purring and Hazel's paw stroking him softly from head to tail. In no time, he was fast asleep.

"Well, Des," he heard Hazel mutter into her dragon, "another day, another dollar." Roused from his slumber, Rene Descartes raised his head, blinking in the late morning sun.

"What is a 'dollar'?" he asked in response, stretching out his legs.

Hazel lifted her head, her short hair sticking out in all directions. She reached over to pull her silver cylinder to the side of her bed, removing the dragon and placing the pointed parts on the side of the clear tube on the cylinder in her nose. "Somebody's got to bring home the bacon," she continued with a wry smile that was somewhat uneven from sleep.

Eyes growing wide, Rene Descartes jumped down from the bed, bounding over to Hazel's door. "Bacon?" he asked excitedly. She had given him a taste of the heavenly stuff two days prior, and he yearned for more. "Oh, do be the somebody that brings said bacon home!"

Hazel laughed, rising from the bed herself. "What are you so happy about?" she asked.

"I will be happy if I may consume a bit of your delicious bacon, but not a moment sooner!" Rene Descartes passionately exclaimed, shifting his weight from paw to paw.

"You really are adorable, Des," she said with a smile, opening the door to let her kitten out. "I suppose Mom will make scrambled eggs." She sighed. "Why only have scrambled eggs for breakfast?" she asked more quietly, and Rene Descartes had the feeling she wasn't talking to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry these chapters are so short. /: Really, they're more just like breaks in my train of thought. Regardless, enjoy!**

"Please pass the pepper, Hazel," Mom requested. Hazel didn't look up, pushing her scrambled eggs around with her fork. "Hazel," Mom repeated, "the pepper." Still no reply. "Hazel!" Mom snapped, voice rising.

"Why eggs?" Hazel finally replied. "Why only at breakfast?"

"Hazel, listen to your mother," Dad said sternly. _Well_, Rene Descartes mused from his vantage point on a nearby windowsill. _Dad is intervening. That can only mean trouble._

Rolling her eyes, Hazel pushed a small, brown container (_Is that the pepper, then?_) across the table. "Answer my question, then." she demanded. "Why only eat scrambled eggs at breakfast?"

Mom sighed. "You don't make any sense. I don't know, Hazel. People just do."

"Some answer," Hazel said bitterly, before pushing herself away from the table. "I'm done." She snatched the handle of her silver cylinder in one paw and pulled it along as she slowly but resolutely strode across the room to scoop her cat up in her other paw.

Only when they were both out of sight of Mom and Dad did she set him down. Her breathing sounded a bit strained, but it didn't seem to bother her. Or she was too riled to care. Rene Descartes couldn't tell.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, looking up at her in confusion.

"He would have answered, Des," Hazel told him quietly. "Come with me, Des. I'll tell you about him." She started walking towards her room, Rene Descartes right at her heels.

"Who is 'he'? Dad?" Hazel didn't reply until she sat down on her bed, patting the space beside her for her kitten to join her. Rene Descartes leaped up, curling up against her side. "Would the 'he' you are speaking of happen to be Dad?"

"You're not the first man in my life," Hazel said with a small smile. "Before I ever met you, which, granted, was not that long ago, I knew a boy named Augustus Waters. I met him at Support Group. He had, but survived, his cancer, though he lost his leg to it."

"Cancer?"

Hazel thought for a moment before continuing. "He...took interest in me. I went to his house to watch a movie, and met his friend, and I got him to read An Imperial Infliction, which, as it turned out, he loved."

"Oh, I have seen you reading that book. It would be lovely if you could describe it to me someday."

The human beside him smiled again. "In fact, he took me to Amsterdam to meet the author, Peter van Houten, who had offered to tell us about the ending." Her smile widened. "Van Houten turned out to be a real jerk. You see, he hadn't thought that I'd be able to travel in my condition. He didn't give either of us any answers, nor had he ever planned to. Regardless, Augustus and I had a...great time."

"He does sound like a rat for brains, I agree."

Hazel's smile faded. "That's where he told me, though. His cancer had come back, and it was much, much worse." She took a shaky breath. "He told me he was dying."

Whether she could understand them or not, Rene Descartes was at a loss for words.

"And he did, Des. It was not valiant, not heroic. He just...wasted away. He was swallowed by the oblivion he so feared." She sighed. She looked rattled, but there wasn't much Rene Descartes could do. "I loved him."

"I'm sorry," the kitten mewled, rubbing his head against her paw. "I am."

"And finally, with my own cancer...I'm dying too."


	4. Chapter 4

Before the full implications of what Hazel had said could register in Rene Descartes' mind, all he could think was, _Of course. It makes perfect sense._

The Smell was the cancer, it was clear. He'd had the vaguest sense of having scented it before, and now he knew why. One of the other cats that had made a short stay at the Pound had smelled of it as well. Rene Descartes had heard one of the white-coated humans call it cancer before they carried the cat away, never to be seen again.

That was when Rene Descartes realized what Hazel had just said. She was dying. His first real keeper, and one who understood his intelligence as well, was dying. The Smell filled Rene Descartes' nose, threatening to choke him. He had only just met her, but already he felt attached in the way only cats and their keepers could.

"I guess I should tell you what's wrong with me," Hazel said, her voice surprisingly stable for the water gathering in the corners of her eyes.

_They are known to humans as tears, are they not? Only shed in times of great elation or despair. I suppose in this instance, it could only be the latter._ Rene Descartes didn't answer his keeper aloud, however, only looking up at her with round amber eyes. He hoped they conveyed the pain he felt for her, and to some degree, himself.

"There are all kinds of cancer, Des," Hazel explained. "How can I put this in terms you'll understand... My kind of cancer makes my lungs very, very weak. That's why I need this." She tapped the silver cylinder with her short, blunt claws, making the shiny object ring ever so slightly. "It gives me extra oxygen so that I can breathe. At night, though, I use my dragon so as to save on the oxygen tanks I carry around all day."

"I do not understand the imminent threat here," Rene Descartes replied. "So long as you keep your extra air, you are fine, yes?"

"If that was the only problem, excluding cancer's tendency to get worse over time, I would be alright. The fairly recent trouble is that my lungs have started filling up with water."

"Water?"

"Well, not quite water. It's a dark kind of thing that I don't remember the name of, but it's very bad to have anything like that in your lungs. The oxygen tank doesn't help with that. Every so often-and increasingly so-I have to go to the hospital to have it drained. That's always quite the ordeal."

Rene Descartes frowned.

"Elegant terms aside, I don't have too much time left." Her voice began to waver, and she picked up her cat to cradle him by her chest. "And I was just beginning to enjoy this miserable existence, too."

"I won't go anywhere, Hazel." Rene Descartes mewled, determined. "I will fight your cancer away, just you wait."

Hazel only hugged him tighter.


	5. Chapter 5

The pair stayed there on the bed for a good amount of time. Hazel's tears dried quickly, and Rene Descartes was moved to her lap again, but he could still smell the scent of her despair, rolling off of his keeper in waves.

_She is attempting to appear strong_, Rene Descartes noticed._ I do not understand why; there is no one here, human or otherwise, to observe her actions save myself._

_Perhaps...she is only trying to convince herself._

His thoughts were cut off when Hazel straightened, moving her paw from his back to the silver cylinder she relied on. "We should apologize to Mom and Dad, Des." she said, lifting herself from the comfort of her bed. "They only want everything to be as normal for me as possible."

Rene Descartes jumped down to the floor, watching his keeper intently as she moved toward her door. "They are very kind humans, it is true. I have never had food as delectable as theirs."

It took a some time, but eventually Hazel reached the kitchen, where Mom and Dad were still sitting at the table. They were whispering to each other in a hushed tone, Mom looking especially dejected.

"Hello?" Rene Descartes mewled, shifting his weight from paw to paw.

The two humans looked up. "Oh, Hazel. I...didn't notice you there," Mom said quietly. "We saved your breakfast for you."

"About that," Hazel started, rubbing one foreleg with the other's paw. "I want to apologize for breakfast. I was just upset. I know you two are trying your hardest to stay positive, and I'm really not helping, so...sorry."

Dad nodded. "Apology accepted, Hazel. Hey, what do you say you and I watch some of your America's Next Top Model? Your mother has an online class she needs to take in a few minutes, so we should stay out of her hair."

_Were you ever in her hair? That does seem rather difficult._

"Sounds great," Hazel replied with a smile. "Des needs to learn the names of all the models. Don't you, Des?"

The last few words were directed at Rene Descartes, who answered with a purr, "Whatever a model may be, I am delighted to learn as always, Hazel." Once again, he was scooped up in Hazel's paw and carted to the living room (_Do they not live in any of the other rooms? Why only this one for living?_). She and Dad sat down together on the couch, Rene Descartes curling up in his keepers lap.

Despite his answer, the kitten fell asleep quickly. His dreams were filled of moldy scents and scrambled eggs.

Weeks passed uneventfully, but as Rene Descartes grew more sure of his body, Hazel was losing control of hers. In the beginning, she spoke to him almost incessantly. The kitten's mind was full of new and elegant words, mysteries now filled with meaning. Every day entailed a new lesson, more and more knowledge shaping and defining his world. Those days were ending, slowly but surely.

There were some days when Hazel would never leave the confines of he room. More rarely, her bed. She began to talk to her kitten less and less, and Rene Descartes' food and water was only refilled every few days. He did not starve, however; Hazel's meals were brought by Mom or Dad up to her room, and the kitten's keeper ate only very little. Hazel knew she couldn't change Rene Descartes' food supply, so she left for him whatever she didn't eat. The kitten knew he should have been enjoying the change in menu, but he also realized what was happening.

And it chilled him to his core.

His keeper was slipping away, bit by bit.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Well, you guys, things are coming to a close. It's been a fun ride so far, and I look forward to wrapping this up. Thanks to all of you, again, for your support and kind words. :3**

It was slow, yes, but it was steady. Exactly one month after he had first come home, Mom and Dad came into Hazel's room to talk to her. The smaller human was still in her bed, hooked up to her dragon (By now, Rene Descartes had learned its real name, but he preferred to call it a dragon regardless). Her kitten lay by her hindpaws.

"Hazel, honey, you know what's happening." Mom had pulled up a chair to Hazel's bedside. Dad stood behind her, his paws on her shoulders.

Hazel was propped up by pillows into a sitting position, An Imperial Affliction on her lap. From the little she had told Rene Descartes about it, it was about a girl with cancer as well. He had asked how she could even bear to read it, but of course she could not understand. In order to answer her parents, she switched from her dragon to her silver cylinder, the oxygen-provider.

"Yes," she said simply. "I do."

Her breakfast lay nearly untouched on the nightstand beside her. Rene Descartes had only nibbled at it, wanting to leave as much for his keeper as he could if ever she wanted more. She never did. The Smell hung in the air like a heavy, musty sheet, covering the room. It had grown stronger as Hazel grew weaker, and it was becoming difficult to discern Hazel's true scent from beneath it.

"How are you feeling?" Dad asked.

"Like crap," she answered with a wry smile. "Other than that, perfectly fine."

Hazel's words from long past echoed in Rene Descartes' ears. _Pain is a side effect of dying. Dying is a side effect of life._ The kitten nearly shivered at the thought.

"Are you noticing a lot of fluid buildup in your lungs?" Dad was now rubbing Mom's shoulders, both their expressions grim.

Hazel didn't answer right away, her eyes on her paws. "A bit."

Rene Descartes frowned. _That is untrue. She spoke to me several days ago, telling me that there was indeed quite a bit of the so-called water restricting her breathing. Why is she lying, then?_

_Is she trying to protect Mom and Dad?_

Dad let out a long exhale, his mouth a straight line. Rene Descartes figured he knew Hazel wasn't telling the truth.

"We just want you to know, Hazel," Mom reminded, "We are always here for you. You don't have to feel embarassed if you need our help or feel worried about us, okay? We both love you, so so much. We just want you to be happy." She lifted herself from the chair to place a paw on Hazel's shoulder.

"Okay," Hazel replied quietly. "I love you guys, too. Thanks so much." Her green eyes didn't meet those of either larger humans in the room, instead settling on the back of her book. Mom moved forward to place what Rene Descartes recognized as a kiss, a human sign of love and affection, on Hazel's forehead.

"We'll leave you alone if you want, okay? We love love _love_ you!"

All the humans in the bedroom moved towards Hazel, reaching out their forelegs to gather her up in a hug, another gesture of love Rene Descarted remembered. After a few moments, Mom and Dad left the room, moving the chair back to its original position.

Still Rene Descartes was curled up by Hazel's hindpaws, jealousy rolling in his stomach. _Why must it be so much more difficult to express my love for my keeper as well?_ he wondered, a hint of bitterness to his thoughts. _How easily they show their affections with their hugs and their kisses. It is not fair in the slightest that I was destined to be a cat, to sit quietly and watch as the world turned around me._ His short tail lashed in frustration.

_Des,_ he chided, using Hazel's nickname for him,_ it is unbecoming of you to be so petty. You are acting like a kitten and it is downright featherbrained. If you cannot convey your sentiments through actions unique to humans, the only logical solution is to relate your emotions through actions unique to cats._

_Yes,_ he resolved. _Besides that, I can only do my best to thank her and trust that it is enough._

"Hazel," he meowed, padding up to sit in his keeper's lap.

"Hey there, Des," the green eyed human replied, rubbing her kitten between the ears.

Rene Descartes purred, but gently pushed her paw away. "I know you are unable to understand me, so there really is no purpose in speaking with you, but...I wish to thank you.

"If it were not for you, I could have rotted in the Pound until my joints began to ache and my fur turned gray. That is, of course, assuming the keepers there did not do whatever it is they do to cats who are not collected. I could have been scooped up by another human who would coddle me, confine me, and treat me like an idiot. Instead, I was chosen by you, Hazel.

"You...treat me like an equal when all you are obligated to do is provide me with food. It is more than any cognisant cat could ever desire. Thank you."

Hazel smiled. "You're pretty adorable, Des. I love you, too."

The human then proceeded to pull her kitten into a hug, squeezing him tightly to her chest. The Smell curled around him, but Rene Descartes did his best to ignore it, instead searching for Hazel's true scent. He fell asleep in her arms, lulled into unconsciousness by the sound of her heartbeat. He never noticed the tears dripping into his fur.


	7. Chapter 7

Sometime in the night, Rene Descartes had relocated to the hindpaw of the bed, curled up against Hazel's hindlegs. His dreams were filled with shadows and Smells, but were cut off abruptly by a horrible sound. In an instant, the kitten was awake, and it only took a moment to see that the choking noise was coming from his keeper. Knowing he could do nothing to help, he bolted to the closed door, ramming it with his small shoulders. It didn't budge, so he tried something else.

"Mom! Dad!" he cried, scrabbling his short claws against the wood. "Help!" When none came, his voice rose to a screech. _"Hazel is in danger! Please, help!"_

A loud but muffled cry of "No!" echoed through the house as Rene Descartes heard heavy pawsteps shaking the floor from afar. The cat was flung across the room as the door flew open, whacking him in the head. A louder, angrier _"No!"_ vibrated through Rene Descartes' skull, which was already ringing from the blow. Mom and Dad had burst into the room, still in their sleep-clothes, eyes wide.

The kitten had hardly managed to struggle to his paws by the time the other two humans were carrying Hazel out of the door, silver cylinder and all. "Wait!" he called after them, his usual elegant tone having slipped. "Please, do not leave me!" He scrambled after them as best he could, tripping over his own paws every couple of steps. His head throbbed and stars swam across his vision. _"Stop!"_ he cried again, running into the wall near the main door.

The main door. He hadn't passed through it since he had first entered the humans' home, just over a month ago. Now, Mom and Dad had left it wide open as they carried Hazel out of it and into the car.

_Why are they taking her there?_ he wondered in a daze, before remembering what the shiny, metal contraption did. _Oh, stars,_ he realized in alarm. _They are taking her away._

As fast as his short legs could carry him, Rene Descartes bolted towards the car. _"Wait!"_ he yelped, but the humans had already closed the doors.

"Do not leave me alone again..." His voice came out as a whimper, but the words were heard by nothing but dust. He sat down heavily, his small ears flattened against his still-aching head. "Please."

Nothing.

No one.

Rene Descartes contemplated chasing the car, but noticing the speed at which it sped down its smooth, black path, he was certain he'd never be able to catch up._ Maybe they will return,_ he reasoned, eyes watching the clouds of dirt the car had stirred. _Perhaps it is like Hazel had said days ago. The...water in her lungs must be drained. And then, she will return like nothing has happened._ Deep in his tiny kitten heart, however, Rene Descartes knew that this was not the case.

Hazel was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

If cats were capable of crying, then Rene Descartes would have been. Instead, as he fell backwards onto the cold, hard ground, the kitten only let out a thin wail. What would happen to him now? He was alone, after all. Would he let himself be taken by another human? No, he couldn't. After a taste of what a good keeper was like, Rene Descartes couldn't handle anything lesser. Then, what? Could he handle the dangerous life of a street cat? Maybe, but definitely not anytime soon. He was only a kitten, after all. Should he go back to the Pound? No. He couldn't risk that if he had the choice. Whatever happened to the cats that were taken to the back, the tabby didn't know. All that was certain was that they never returned.

For the time being, Rene Descartes retreated back into the false safety of the house. He cast one longing glance behind him, but the dust in the air had settled. There was no one there.


	8. Epilogue

**AN: I will type the obligatory end-story author's note here, so as not to ruin my lovely closer~ I know I've thanked all of you several times, but I have to do it again. I am eternally grateful for your reviews. They mean so much to me; you have no idea. I smile whenever I check my email. To those of you who had the heart to review _several_ chapters, have a Des plushie! He will cuddle with you and shun contractions forever. :3**

**If you have any questions, comments, or just want to have a friendly chat, feel free to PM me. You'll get a cookie. ^^ Anyway, have an epilogue, and as always, enjoy!**

Rene Descartes lay belly-up on Hazel's bed, searching for her scent. He couldn't find it. The Smell threatened to choke him, but he ignored it. It was here that the only source of food was, after all. Hazel's plate from the night she left, now several days old, was still sitting by her bedside. The tabby kitten was rationing it carefully, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he began to starve. He dreaded to think of what he would do next. He'd run through his options, but he didn't much like the sound of any of them.

Oh, how he longed to see Hazel again.

But that wasn't going to happen.

With a sigh, Rene Descartes rolled back onto his paws. Hopping down from the bed, the kitten crossed the room for a few small bites of meat. His hunger was only barely suppressed, but he left the rest regardless. Rather than gaze at the cold meal any longer, he jumped up to the window to look outside. A car passed, and the cat's heart ached. It wasn't carrying Hazel. No car that went by ever would. But still, the cars were freedom. Nothing would dare attack such a formidable beast. Rene Descartes, on the other paw, was vulnerable. Especially now that he had so little to eat. The tiny kitten was only getting smaller.

Rene Descartes heard a squawk from below. With the front door left open, wild animals were developing a tendency to use Hazel's house as a shelter. There were only birds and small rodents in the daytime, but at night the kitten hid from the larger and more ferocious raccoons and skunks. He closed the door to his keeper's room as much as he could without trapping himself inside, but he knew that, if he didn't run out of food first, the other animals would take it soon. The tabby was powerless to stop them.

No, cars didn't have to worry about that. _If only I was one such beast,_ Rene Descartes mused. _I would never need to worry myself with such trivial matters as my own._ The kitten couldn't make such comparisons about humans; he knew from Hazel and her words that life as one of them was difficult, painful, and long.

As he watched another car pass, Rene Descartes decided that he wouldn't stand for this any longer.

"I am leaving." he announced. "It is better that I enjoy the rest of my nourishment now and depart while I have the energy than wait until the animals thieve it away, leaving me weak."

He jumped down from the windowsill again, making his way toward the plate. "Such nutrition will have no benefit in the belly of another."

_I will leave at dawn tomorrow,_ he affirmed, savoring the taste of his food as much as he could while he ate it. _Life will lead me in the direction it wishes me to take._

That night, he slept one last time in Hazel's bed, almost relishing the Smell that still lived inside the blankets.

The next morning, as he stepped into the chilled early air, Rene Descartes smiled. A weight was lifted from his small shoulders.

"I will live for you, Hazel," he resolved.

This time, he did not look back.


End file.
